STRAWBERRY VALENTINE CHEX MIX

Valentines Day is coming up and I'm so excited to share this quick, easy recipe for Strawberry Chex Mix. It makes quite a bit so it's perfect for class parties or even neighbor gifts. You must have some seriously rockin' neighbors if you're handing out treats for Valentines Day...

The base recipe is just 3 ingredients, then feel free to add whatever Valentines candy, sprinkles, food coloring, etc. My daughter decided to help me decorate these treats and within 5 minutes it looked like Cupid threw up in my kitchen. Awesome. Feel free to make them as ~~obnoxiously~~ pink as you want!

Strawberry Valentines Chex Mix

6 cups Rice Chex cereal
1 bag of white chocolate baking chips {12 oz}
1 box of Strawberry Creme Jell-O Pudding** {make sure you use pudding!! Gelatin does not have the same effect, trust me!}
Valentines M&M's, sprinkles, food coloring- whatever you'd like to make them more festive!

** If you're having a hard time finding Strawberry Creme pudding mix, feel free to substitute Banana Creme, coconut Creme, Cheesecake, or really any other flavor pudding you want! Just remember to use pudding as opposed to Jell-O! If you're dying to do the Strawberry Creme and can't find it at any store near you, you can purchase it online from Amazon! Or have a friend in another area send you a box...or come here to Utah to shop, my store had a zillion...

Measure out 6 cups of Chex into a large bowl.

Dump white chocolate chips into a glass dish. Microwave for 1 minute. Remove and stir gently.

Return to the microwave and melt for an additional 30 seconds. Stir. Microwave another 30 seconds and even though the chips still hold their shape, once you stir it, you'll see that they are in fact melted!

You can add about 1-2 tsp of shortening to the chips and it will help the consistency be slightly thinner and smoother. It's easier to cover the cereal when you use a little shortening, however it's optional.

Note: Microwave times will vary. I have a 1500 watt microwave, so this is what worked for me. If your microwave is less powerful, you will have to increase the times. Go slowly. You don't want to seize the chocolate. In my experience, the chocolate is always done before I think it is. If it's nearly melted, just let it sit on the counter for a minute or two and stir again- chances are the heat from the mixture itself is enough to melt the chips the rest of the way.

Add 4 TBSP of the strawberry creme pudding into the white chocolate and stir gently until smooth. You can also add a bit of food coloring if you'd like. Since you added the pudding, it tastes like strawberry, but it doesn't actually add any color.

I opted to divide mine, making most of it pink, but leaving some white.

Dump the chocolate mixture over the Chex cereal and stir gently until the cereal is coated in chocolate.

Add any Valentines candy, sprinkles, etc. Use caution when inviting 6 year old girls to assist... things can get out of hand very quickly... ;)

Lay out on pieces of wax paper to cool and solidify. I found the M&M's looked better if you sprinkled them on top, once the mixture is laid out to cool. The candy sticks to the Chex cereal but it doesn't get coated so you can still see the colors.

ENJOY!